Karnataka is located in the southern region of India. It is surrounded by the Arabian Sea on the west, Goa on the northwest, Maharashtra on the north, Andhra Pradesh on the east, Tamil Nadu on the southeast, and Kerala on the southwest.

At current prices, the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Karnataka stood at about Rs12.69 trillion (US$ 196.88 billion) in 2017-18. The GSDP (in Rs) of the state grew at a CAGR of 13.11 per cent between 2011-12 and 2017-18. The state’s per capita GSDP was Rs 193,409 (US$ 3,001) in 2017-18. The per capita GSDP (in Rs) increased at a CAGR of 11.89 per cent between 2011-12 and 2017-18.

The state has attracted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflows worth US$ 28.82 billion during the period April 2000 to December 2017, according to data released by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).

Karnataka has vibrant automobile, agro, aerospace, textile & garment, biotech and heavy engineering industries. The state has sector-specific SEZs for key industries such as IT, biotechnology, and engineering, food processing and aerospace.

Karnataka is the IT hub of India and home to the fourth largest technology cluster in the world. In 2017-18, total exports from the state aggregated to US$ 39.38 billion (up to November 2017). Karnataka has 47 IT/ITeS SEZs, three software technology parks and dedicated IT investment regions. As of April 2018, Karnataka had a total installed power generation capacity of 26,697.47 megawatt (MW).

Karnataka boasts of a diverse flora and fauna and a 320 km natural coast line, which makes it a nature tourist's paradise. Tourist arrivals in the state increased from 36.7 million in 2006 to 102.3 million in 2017.

Karnataka offers a wide range of fiscal and policy incentives for businesses under the Karnataka Industrial Policy, 2014-19. Through the ESDM Policy 2013, the government of Karnataka has planned to facilitate, promote and develop the ESDM sector in Karnataka and make the state a preferred destination for investment in this sector. In September 2017, the government of Karnataka passed the ‘Karnataka Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage Policy 2017’. Electric Vehicles manufacturing in Karnataka is expected to attract investments worth US$ 4.82 billion and create 55,000 jobs.

Key Sectors:

As of December 2017, the state had one operational SEZ (KIADB SEZ Hassan - Textiles) for the textile sector at Hasan, Karnataka.

As of April 2018, renewable energy was recorded at 12,438.85 MW out of the total installed capacity of 26,697.47 MW. Therefore, it contributed a total of 46.59 per cent into the state’s total installed power capacity.

By the end of April 2018, the installed capacity for wind energy was recorded to be 4,655.66 MW. Wind energy accounted for 37.79 per cent of the total installed capacity recorded by the end of April 2018

As per the Budget 2018-19, the state government has allocated US$ 2.18 billion for enhancement of the power sector in the state

Karnataka has emerged as an information technology (IT) hub of India. The state is India’s largest software exporter, with IT & electronic products exports totalling to US$ 30.41 billion in 2017-18 (up to September 2017).

The state exported engineering products worth US$ 2.72 billion in 2016-17 (up to September 2017).

As per Budget 2018-19, an amount of US$ 697.25 million has been proposed for higher education

As per Budget 2018-19, the state government has decided to allocate Rs.459 crore (US$70.90 million) to tourism department

More than 60 per cent of the biotechnology companies in India have a base in Bangalore and the state drives 50 per cent of the total revenues in India’s biotechnology sector.

The ITE&C (Information Technology, Electronics & Communication) department of the state has established a new IoT policy within the state with a view to attain a substantial market share in India’s IoT market by 2020.

Karnataka is the first state which came out with an aerospace policy in the country. Karnataka Aerospace Policy has identified an investment potential of US$ 12.5 billion in this sector during 2013–23 and plans to develop aerospace clusters in different regions of the state

All material, information, data, images or content on this website is subject to copyright or other applicable intellectual property laws and no part of it can be reproduced in any form (including paper or electronic form) without prior written consent and approval from IBEF. Infringements are subject to prosecution under the applicable laws. For consent related queries and conditions, please write to info.brandindia@ibef.org